23 March 2010

The endurance world record for 160 kms has been broken yet again, at the Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Cup held Sunday at Dubai International Endurance City. Yousuf Ahmad Al Beloushi came in at 5 hours 45 minutes and 44 seconds on cheval du jour Jayhal Shazal for an average speed of 27.77 kms per hour with the final loop rating an astonishing 35.53 kms per hour. The mind boggles. The Crown Prince himself, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, came in second, also breaking the world record as did the third-place finisher. No word yet on if the course actually measured the full 160 kms or if that was just a rough guess, as surely no one who is not on Dubai's payroll did any measuring. And we all know how much these guys love to go 160 kms over there; they just can't get enough of it. The Carrot knows this particular question is worth asking whenever a world record falls in the Gulf.